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King of Nothing

The hilarious and heartwarming Waterstones and Carnegie prize-winning teen comedy from Sunday Times bestseller!

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King of Nothing

By: Nathanael Lessore
Narrated by: Michael Ajao
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From the Yoto Carnegie Medal shortlisted author of Steady For This comes a hilarious and heartwarming new teen comedy!

ANTON AND HIS FRIENDS ARE THE KINGS OF YEAR 9.

They're used to ruling the school and Anton wears the crown. The other kids run away when he's about but that's the way he wants it - he's got a reputation to live up to after all.

So when he gets into serious trouble at school, he doesn't really care, but his mum most definitely does. She decides it's time for Anton to make some new friends and join the Happy Campers, a local activity group. Anton would quite literally rather do anything else, especially when he finds out Matthew, the biggest loser in school, is also a member.

But after Matthew unexpectedly saves Anton's life, Anton figures maybe this kid is worth a shot. Teaching him some game is the least Anton can do to repay the debt.

As the boys strike up an unlikely friendship, Anton finds himself questioning everything he thought was important. Does he want ruling the school to be his crowning glory or should he set his sights on better things?

Perfect for teen listeners of Alex Wheatle, Jason Reynolds and Patrice Lawrence. Growing Up & Facts of Life Humorous Fiction Literature & Fiction Funny Witty Feel-Good Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

Rib-achingly funny, poignant, thoughtful and sly, Lessore's second novel confirms him as a uniquely talented writer.
King of Nothing confirms [Nathanael Lessore] as a major new name in writing for younger teenagers . . . It's testament to Lessore's lightness of touch and believable characters that despite delving into big topics such as toxic masculinity and grief, this is an immensely readable book that never feels too worthy.
This teen comedy really is very funny, while also being meaningful and heartwarming.
This compelling contemporary comedy explores themes of friendship and identity and offers relatable insights into peer pressure and personal growth. Highly recommended for KS3 and KS4.
This hilarious teen comedy with a male protagonist can rightly claim a laugh on every page.
This book is perfect for teens as it is both witty and real. It covers some tough dilemmas in a really engaging way.
Witty and wise, this is a triumph of a novel
Funny, thought provoking (given the activity of social media influencers like Andrew Tate) and, in Anton's grief when his nan dies, really moving.
All stars
Most relevant
As an 13 year old you have so much stress with friends and fake one's here's my story: so I had this friend I'll call her Sarah she was nice and kind and would come over to my house with one other not so close suspicious friend soon my stuff started ✨magically✨ disappearing I obvs thought it was my suspicious friend but she once went home cause she felt sick and I had to put cal pol in her bag for the way back and none of my stuff was there sarah went home usual time next day a necklace of mine went missing ✨magically✨ again 🙄 so by then i knew that it was her so I confronted her in the hallway we got into a huge fight and she slapped me I started crying as my nose was literally BLEEDING and she said I was faking for attention MY NOSE IS BLEEDING AND YOU JUST SLAPPED ME GIRLY a teacher came and I stopped hanging out with her an guess what none of my stuff for taken again home wonder why 🤔🤔🤔 anyways yea that's my story!!! Ps keep on making books there sooooo good!

it's so good for teens!

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Love it! Touching. Hilarious. Clever.
Never disappoints. Listening to it with my 14 year old. We both love it. We will have to listen again soon as we will miss the characters!

Favourite Audiobook Ever

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My kids loved it I’m a really faster than anyone else And now you love me, do you have more?

Story line

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Loved it overall was amazing to follow however the reader was quite slow so had to speed it up to 1.5 speed.

The twists

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I listened to this as a school reading group have chosen it for their choice for winning The Carnegie Medal. As someone much older than the age group the book is aimed at the use of slang and the awful attitude to girls really grated.

Stick with it, Anton is a good kid who realises what is important in life. Strong female characters add to the mix, making this a funny novel (laugh out loud funny) with a huge important message. This should be compulsory reading/ listening for all students in Year 7, their parents, grandparents and teachers.

Strong message

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